The Cursed Herald

by Rina S Mamoon

  “I came to Ardana thousands of years ago. I joined the Order of Aazalith and became a purifier.”

  Mara noticed something odd about her tale. Rising from her seat, she pulled down her mask while gawking at the older woman. She also removed her hood. Unlike Morgan’s smooth locks, the huntress’ hair was in a messy braid with a few loose clumps in the front. Compared to Morgan, Mara’s face wasn’t as thin. Her nose was a little bit wider. Her light brown eyes were more doll-like than the older undying. She still owned the faded blotches around her eyes and down the sides of her face. Mara looked younger in comparison. The huntress’ body was more on the average side with some muscle tone. Although the commander once commented on how big her bottom was, and her legs belonged on a horse.

  “Wait, you’re—?”

  Morgan nodded. “Yes, I am Thalia, or I was…”

  Mara gawked at her, then glanced at Aspen. The Watcher nodded, confirming Morgan’s claim. Aspen reached for her visor and removed it. She then pulled down her mask to reveal her inhuman face. The Watcher never removed her hood though.

  Morgan looked at the two. “We finally meet.” The original undying gazed at Aspen. “I assume you are half-darkling. Unlike Anna, who was a gorgon-type, you appear to be a fairy. I’ve seen the kind back in Thoron. If you absorb an undying’s soul or use a healing stone, I’m sure you can regain your human form.”

  Aspen remained silent.

  Morgan switched her gaze onto Mara. “And you appear to be a little witch, but partially transformed. Lorelei told me about you. She had seen your true form.” Morgan kept studying her face. “Though it’s strange. With the travel ban placed upon Thoron, there’s no way you could have met the Wolf Goddess, Ulrika, or the Thoron Witches.”

  Mara looked back at the older woman. Morgan’s words made her think about the ritual performed by Dad’s village.

  The original undying returned to her tale. “Like the two of you, I kept my curse hidden behind a veil,” Morgan revealed. “I had no guardians until one fateful night. It was the first time I met Kratés, who was one of Kallisto’s guardians.” She then said, “Kallisto, who was born in Ardana, claimed to be the most beautiful woman in the world. According to rumour, her mother took her own life in fear her next child would be less attractive. Many men sought her hand in marriage, but her pride made her refuse them all. Her father made her join the covenant at the age of eighteen after realizing she had no intentions of marrying or bearing children.”

  The huntress kept her eyes on Morgan. “Sounds like a punishment,” Mara retorted.

  Morgan smiled. “Kallisto was unwilling to become a purifier, even though she had the most guardians. She was very vain and selfish. Within four decades, I watched her grow into a bitter crone who became jealous of those younger than her. Even as a goddess, she never changed.”

  “What about Kratés?” Mara inquired.

  “Kratés of Thoron was a very beautiful man. He was also a strong and skilled warrior, but wasn’t without flaws.”

  Mara watched her in curiosity. “What flaws?”

  “He was addicted to sex,” according to Morgan. “At the age of sixteen, his father disowned him for his philandering ways. He became a drifter, taking on various occupations. Once, he was a bodyguard of a king with a mistress, who no man was allowed to touch. Yet she was attracted to Kratés, and made advances onto him. He could not resist. After breaking his oath, Kratés fled to Ardana and joined the covenant to repent for his sins. By twenty, he became one of Kallisto’s guardians, but was unaware of her envious nature. She had him beaten into ugliness, his head shaved, and considered castrating him to control his urges.”

  Mara gave a strange look. She had speculated what Kallisto might have been like as a human, but not Kratés. It gave the impression he was very careless and impulsive. He had no regard for his actions.

  “It was during a gathering when I met them,” Morgan continued, snapping Mara out of her thoughts. “At first, he was hardly recognizable from the constant beatings. Kallisto plotted to castrate him one night. I saw this and intervened. Not only did we purifiers have an obligation to protect mankind, but we must care for our guardians since they protected us. Kallisto was incapable of upholding these obligations. I suggested her banishment from the covenant.”

  Mara looked at Morgan while taking in the story, then sat down. “Can’t imagine she was pleased with you,” came her response.

  Morgan smiled. “Kallisto took to mocking me. She assumed I was an ugly old hag because I was veiled and had no guardians. She removed my veil, hoping to humiliate me before everyone, but they saw this.” Morgan gestured to her face. “The others thought I was so beautiful, I had to be veiled. Kallisto loathed me even more. Kratés threw himself at my feet, vowing to become my guardian. I offered to nurse him back to his old self, nothing more. He kept insisting. In time, he became my guardian for ten years.”

  “You let him become your guardian?” Mara asked. “What about his philandering ways?”

  Morgan simply said, “We managed.”

  Mara studied her face and began to realize what she meant. “You two were lovers?”

  The older woman nodded. “Yes, we were close. I had reason to believe he wanted to be more than just a guardian.” She paused for a moment. “But we could never be together, for he was human and I was an undying. Unless…”

  “Unless what?” Mara asked.

  Morgan never answered her question. Instead, she continued her tale.

  “He was my guardian until Kallisto betrayed the Order. I believe she did it out of vanity and jealousy. Kallisto hated me so much, she resorted to steal the soul of a divine. It turned her into the goddess we all know. Upon seeing her, Kratés fatally stabbed me. I returned to life, resolved to reclaim Aazalith’s soul, but she discovered my secret. Harold and I were taken prisoner.”

  Mara gazed at her in silence. Judging by her tone, Morgan appeared to be still hurting from the betrayal.

  “While Harold rotted in a cell, I was starved and beaten to death. Kallisto hoped to make me ugly. Though no matter how severe the beatings, I always recovered. So, she sought to destroy me in other ways. She took Kratés as her husband and made him immortal using Aazalith’s soul. Then she allowed her depraved guards to rape me every day. Sometimes I was dragged out of my cell to be beaten and raped in public. All for their sick satisfaction. Kratés was always present. I begged him to help me, hoping he would stop the torture, but he never did. For a few centuries, I endured the horrific abuse until we escaped.”

  “How did you escape?” Mara inquired.

  Morgan closed her eyes and hummed an unknown tune. The notes reached Mara’s ears, making her feel somewhat relaxed. While it sounded pleasant, she didn’t know why Morgan began humming. Then it dawned on her. She heard it before discovering Morgan with Commander White in Har’ Yhan. Morgan began to transform. Shimmering scales of blue and green decorated the sides of her face and around her eyes. Morgan opened her eyes, revealing glowing blue gemstones with darkened scleras. The older woman removed the glove covering her right hand. Scales decorated the whole arm as webbing formed between each finger. Her fingernails grew into sharp claws, like the Siren.

  Mara gawked at Morgan’s true form. “That’s—”

  “A mermaid,” Aspen interrupted. Mara looked at her before turning her bewildered gaze back onto Morgan.

  The older undying kept gazing at them with glowing eyes.

  “Mermaids were immortal creatures before being hunted to extinction,” according to Morgan. “Eating their flesh granted eternal youth and beauty, but made the consumer inhuman. I did this to hide my undying form, but it made me into this.” She gazed at her hand. “One day, I witnessed my transformation while being tortured. None seemed to notice, so I waited for the right moment to stage our escape. I used my voice to bind a guard to my will and had him free us.” She glanced back at Mara. “Harold fled to Grey Mountain. I fled to the woods at the foot of Ghost Mountain and changed m
y name. Kallisto slapped the title, Succubus, on me to make me look worse than I really am.”

  Mara gaped at Morgan. At first she was rendered speechless after hearing such a horrific tale. Based on the words she heard, it seemed Amara suffered a similar fate.

  “I’m sorry.” Mara glanced down at her hands. “So, what should I call you? Morgan or Thalia?”

  “You are also Thalia.”

  Mara lifted her gaze to her. “What do you mean?”

  “After my escape, a village took me in,” Morgan revealed. “However, I discovered the villagers’ devotion to the Faith. Word of my escape had spread. They captured me with intentions to send me back. It was my darkest moment. I used Banish to free my soul from my body. It is a spell often used by sages to send wayward spirits to the underworld. I hoped Death would send me to my final resting place; I felt I had nothing to lose. As a result, my soul split in two. One half remained within me, while the other half took on new life. Born to a young family, which the mother died in childbirth, and the father raised her alone.”

  “Amara,” Mara murmured.

  Morgan nodded. “At the time, I never realized the consequences of using Banish on myself. All the reincarnations inherited the Curse of the Undying. Every time a reincarnation died, her soul split in two. And the gods still sought my recapture.”

  “Then they spotted Amara,” Aspen said.

  “Yes,” Morgan replied. “It was heartbreaking. She didn’t deserve any of this.”

  “What happened?” Mara questioned.

  Morgan gave a sombre look. “Sometimes the truth is undesirable. Are you sure you want to know?”

  “Yes, I do,” Mara said.

  Morgan closed her eyes. “According to rumour, Kratés’ love went unreciprocated,” she said. “Despite being equal in power, Kallisto never saw him as a king or a husband, let alone a god. So, he turned his gaze elsewhere.”

  “That’s when he saw Amara?” Mara asked.

  Morgan nodded. “According to Khan, the king invited them to get close to Amara. Then Kratés threw him out and kept her. It had been a year since Khan last saw his daughter.”

  “Then the divine awoke and almost destroyed Ardana,” Aspen added.

  “And it was the seven who defeated Aazalith,” Mara said. “Is that when you found her?”

  “Yes,” Morgan replied. “You may be unaware of this, but all the undying are connected by the same soul. When I approached Amara, I sensed her agony.”

  Mara’s hands curled up as she listened. Morgan saw this and continued, “She suffered the exact same fate. When I gazed into her soul, I learned the truth.”

  Mara looked at her with anticipation. “What did you see?”

  Morgan sighed, “Kratés took her.”

  The huntress gazed down at her clenched fists. Her anger was building while her nails dug into her palms.

  “You mean he raped her?” Mara demanded, her voice breaking down.

  Morgan stared at her. “Kratés kept Amara for a month before Kallisto discovered her. After having her imprisoned, Kallisto tortured and murdered Amara many times. She demonized an innocent girl. To make matters worse, Kratés did nothing,” she revealed. “One day, Amara managed to escape and fled deep into the Dark Labyrinth. She kept running, unaware she entered Aazalith’s dormant body. Reacting to her presence, the divine snatched Amara and fused her to the core. The process was very painful.”

  Mara began to shake as tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Why?” Mara asked. “Why didn’t you kill her? You could have ended her suffering!”

  “It wasn’t in my place.”

  Mara shot a glare at her. “Then whose place is it to kill her?”

  “You already know the answer,” came the older woman’s reply. “Harold sent you on this quest. Only you can put an end to this.”

  “Then answer me this,” Mara said. “Will I cease to exist?”

  Morgan refused to answer her question, but her silence was very telling. Mara shot up and stormed away without saying goodbye to her hostess. The Watcher put her visor back on while following her out. Morgan sat alone while watching them leave.

  “Mara,” Aspen called.

  She glared at Aspen. “It’s true, isn’t it?” Mara asked in a shaky voice.

  The Watcher gazed at her. “Yes, it seems that way.”

  “Isn’t there another way? There has to be.”

  “Harold believes only Thalia can defeat Kallisto,” Aspen said. “He sent you on this quest to collect the souls of the undying. This means killing Morgan, Amara, and I.” Then, “What shall we do next?”

  Mara looked down. “I just want to go back to the laboratory.”

  “What about Morgan?”

  “I don’t know,” Mara murmured. “I’d rather find another way.”

  Aspen nodded. “Very well, I’ll take you home.”

  The Watcher held out her hand. Mara gazed at her hand before taking it.

  ***

  In a bright flash of light, they returned to find Allen’s laboratory in disarray. It seemed like a group of people came here and trashed the place. “Heretic” was painted in bright red colours on a wall. A groan was heard. Searching for the source of the sounds, Mara found James laying on the ground. He looked like he was knocked out.

  “James!” Mara called. She and Aspen helped him up. Looking at him, Mara noticed a few new bruises on James.

  He opened his eyes. “Mara?”

  “Are you okay?” Mara then noticed someone was missing. “Where’s Allen?”

  James’ eyes widened as he recalled what happened. “The Holy Blades attacked us! Allen has been taken to the temple!”

  She gaped at him. Mara shot up, grabbed Godstruck, and dashed out the door. She left the Silver Thorn long sword behind.

  Aspen warned, “Don’t go! It’s a trap!”

  Mara ignored her and continued to run.

  ***

  Mara didn’t know how long it took to reach the temple. All she could think about was saving Allen, so she ran like the wind. She hoped she wasn’t too late. The Holy Blades didn’t see her rushing up the path. In blind rage, Mara killed anyone who dared get in her way. She didn’t know how many she cut down. She needed to save Allen.

  Storming the temple, she saw Commander White, his father, Kallisto, and Allen. Allen walked towards the unveiled goddess. Her beauty so great, it intoxicated him.

  “Allen! Don’t look at her!”

  Mara’s cries fell on deaf ears. Allen stumbled towards Kallisto while she took possession of all his senses. The goddess had her arms open as he tumbled into them. They stared into each other’s eyes and leaned in.

  “Allen!” Mara screamed. It was too late. Kallisto pressed her lips to Allen’s. He didn’t pull away. After a few seconds, Allen lost his balance and began to crumple. He fell to the ground and became motionless.

  Mara dashed to him, ignoring the others. It was like Dad all over again. Kallisto and her followers watched while Mara held Allen’s body in her arms. She tried to wake him, but it was futile. Nothing could bring him back. Her vision became blurred by tears.

  “Allen… All—”

  A powerful force smashed into the back of her head. She was thrown to the ground beside Allen’s body. While grieving the loss of her friend, one of the Holy Blades struck her with a metal sledgehammer. She felt disoriented as her whole body went numb. Another powerful force smashed into her skull. Blood and pieces of brain matter splattered onto the floor.

  The last thing Mara saw was Allen laying beside her.

  Chapter Nine

  Frail Hope

  The tingling sensation touched every nerve in her body. It soon became a scorching heat rushing through her veins, pulling Mara from her death-like sleep. Returning to life, she heard two male voices, but they were unfamiliar. Opening her eyes, she saw the Holy Blades dragging her through a dark place. She couldn’t move; the brutal hit to the back of her skull left her paralyzed. She was helpless while
they dragged her away to who-knows-where. It was possible they were going to seal her in another coffin.

  A low growl echoed in the dark halls. The Holy Blades stopped and dropped her. They went to investigate the growls. The sounds came from everywhere. After a few seconds, the men screamed in pure terror. They clearly took on a creature way beyond their abilities. Then it grew silent.

  Laying in the darkness, Mara remained paralyzed. Would she be stuck like this forever? She could only move her eyeballs around, but knew she was back in the Dark Labyrinth. Though it seemed to be a different location. It wasn’t a surprise, considering the underground labyrinth spanned throughout all of Ardana. A presence was beside her. She tried to move her head the best she could to see who it was. After spending some time trying to move, her head rolled to the right and she saw Allen’s corpse. The Faith tossed his body down here to rot. Seeing his lifeless face was horrifying because she couldn’t look away. At least he looked peaceful.

  All Mara wanted to do was apologize. If only she hadn’t been gone for so long, none of this would have happened. In the back of her mind, she knew it was the consequence for discovering the truth and seeking revenge. She wanted to kill Kallisto and save Karl, but now it costed her a dear friend. Her mouth was open, though a raspy moan was all she could produce.

  Another low growl grabbed her attention. Moving her eyeballs, Mara saw a large wolf-like creature emerge from the doorway. She thought it was a werewolf, but noticed its thin legs, humanoid torso and arms, and the horns protruding from its head. The black fur and glowing yellow eyes identified a shadow beast, perhaps the same creature responsible for killing the Holy Blades. The wolf-like creature released another growl as it approached her and the cadaver of her friend. The metallic scent of her blood attracted it. As the monster towered over her, Mara could see its bared fangs glowing in the dark. It gave another snarl before grabbing her right arm. It dragged her away to another part of the Dark Labyrinth. She couldn’t do anything. At least Allen’s body was left alone.